390 TRIP UP THE SOUTHERN BRANCH 



this district, were attempted to be worked, three years 

 ago. It is situated eighteen or twenty feet above the 

 ordinary level of the river, which often overflows its banks 

 after heavy rains, so as to come up to it ; it appears to 

 have done so quite recently. At present it flows in a 

 clear and tranquil stream over its sandy and gravelly 

 bed. A large trench, situated close to the house, and 

 which was dug at a great expense, has been neglected ; 

 as the river, the course of which it was intended to turn 

 into it, broke down the dams, and insisted upon running in 

 its old bed, and covering from the cupidity of the miners 

 the valuable minerals which are found in its sands. 



Some Banjar miners have recently been digging in 

 the trench ; and I saw some small diamonds, on a 

 previous visit, which they had obtained ; but they say 

 there are no large ones. These cunning fellows fear to 

 tell us that they find any of value, as they suppose the 

 working them would be immediately taxed. We knew, 

 however, that they have been offering good diamonds 

 for sale. I took a small canoe, and with two men went 

 up the river, in search of plants, but did not find any 

 which I had not previously observed. Opposite the 

 house, the Bunga Bungor (Lagerstramia regia) was 

 flowering beautifully : Durians and Lansats were ripe on 

 the banks of the stream, and we enjoyed, to our hearts' 

 content, their delicious fruits. On a point of land which 

 we passed, was a place, under the shade of palm-trees, 

 railed in, where, I was told, the Sempro Dyaks bury 

 the bones of their dead, after the bodies have been 

 burnt. It may be so in this tribe I had not an oppor- 



